There were just four prosecutions for revenge porn in the county in 2018

JUST four people were prosecuted for sharing revenge porn in Leicestershire in 2018.

It became a criminal offence to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress in April 2015, but numbers of prosecutions and convictions resulting from the new law are still low.

A support service for victims said the low numbers were “no surprise”, reporting that victims often consider legal options too traumatic to consider.

In Leicestershire, there were four prosecutions for revenge porn in 2018

That compares to five in 2017, two in 2016, and none in 2015 when the law was introduced.

Prosecutions in 2018 lead to three convictions.

That conviction rate of 75% was up from 60% a year before.

One person was jailed and one community sentence was handed out, while one case was committed for sentencing when the data was compiled.

Of those prosecuted in 2018, three were men, with two aged between 21 and 24 and one aged between 25 and 29.

The woman prosecuted was aged between 50 and 59.

Across England and Wales, 288 people appeared in court in 2018 charged with disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

Of these, 183 were convicted. This was down from 349 people being taken to court in 2017, with 261 people convicted.

That means the conviction rate has dropped from 75% in 2017 to 64% in 2018.

Most of those who appeared in court were men - 262 out of 288 in 2017.

Of those convicted, 27 were given immediate custody, with 62 receiving community sentences, and 61 given a suspended sentence.

The figures only cover cases where disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress was the principle, or most serious, offence prosecuted.

However, Ministry of Justice figures show 337 people were prosecuted for the offence in 2018, as either a principle or non-principle offence.

That was down from 455 in 2017. The Revenge Porn Helpline offers advice and support to adults who have been the victim of intimate image abuse via email and phone.

Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager, said: “Unfortunately, the figures published by the Ministry of Justice are no surprise to us at the Revenge Porn Helpline.

“The reasons for cases not being pursued through to conviction are many and varied.

“There is no guarantee of anonymity as the disclosure of intimate images without consent is not classed as a sexual offence: people who are suffering having their intimate images shared in this way are understandably unwilling to risk having their identities revealed in open court or the local media.

“Reporting to the police is a difficult step to take and sadly we often hear that victims have had unsympathetic and uninformed responses.

“The sharing of images in this way is often linked to other behaviours such as domestic abuse, harassment and stalking, all of which can present risks a victim.

“Cases of intimate image abuse certainly do not seem to be decreasing. Cases reported to the Revenge Porn Helpline are rising year-on-year.

“The priority for most callers is the removal of their online content and while we make sure that they are aware of their legal options, it is often too traumatic a prospect to consider.”

The Law Commission has begun a review into the law in this area and Revenge Porn Helpline, which is funded by the Home Office is calling for the offence to be reclassified as a sexual offence, so victims are given anonymity.

It also wants the offence to include threats to share, for the criteria of intention to cause distress to be removed, the definition of the images included to be broadened, and manipulated images such as deep fakes and Photoshopped images to be included.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “The CPS takes so-called revenge pornography extremely seriously and we recognise the traumatic effect this crime has on victims.

“We welcome any increase in reporting of this vile offence. The CPS can only consider cases referred to us by the police but we will always seek to charge where there is sufficient evidence to do so.”

The CPS said disclosing private sexual images is often part of a wider campaign of harassment or stalking and this offending will often be reflected within other charges.

A revised protocol on stalking cases, published following consultation with specialist victim support groups, makes it makes clear that if the primary offence is stalking then this should be the charge irrespective of the specific behaviours the perpetrator may have conducted (such as revenge porn).

CPS figures show stalking offences charged increased from 1,616 in 201718 to 2,209 in 2018-19 – an increase of 36.7% and the highest volume ever recorded.

The Revenge Porn Helpline can be contacted on 0345 6000 459 (between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), voicemail outside these hours) or at help@ revengepornhelpline.org.uk